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Philippines: ITIN for Filipino Spouse (in the Philippines):
That sounds like fun!
Philippines: Living in in Cebu Philippines:
I live in a high end gated subdivision on the sea about 45 minutes with normal traffic south of Cebu city. The area outside the subdivision is typical Philippines. There are goats, shantys, and trash thrown on the side of the road. So what? It doesn't bother me because I spend most of my time inside the subdivision and I know what to expect in this country. It is definitely not for everyone.
I also pay P30,000 a month rent for a one year old 134sq meter house with 3 bedrooms plus a maid's quarters. We have a 25meter long swimming pool, a clubhouse, and tennis/basketball court. My electric is also about P10,000 a month. My water is about P500. My internet is P1300 and my cable is P600. That comes out to about P45,000 a month. I pay P30 for 5 gallon bottle of mineral water not P90.
I eat very well. I go to S&R membership warehouse once a month to buy quality meats and other imported things you can't find in a local store. We go out to dinner or to a bar at least twice a month. I send 2 kids to a private English speaking school. This cost me P8,000 a month. All of this cost me about $2000 a month. How much it cost to live here a month depends on where you live and how you choose to live. Your rent and utilities are about the same as mine. I live VERY well for much less then the $5,000 you say you are spending a month though. You must be drinking a whole lot of that P90 bottled water!
As for banking, I pay my rent and send myself money once a month using World Remit. It costs me $3.99 per transaction and the exchange rate is much better then Western Union. I prefer to do this then use an ATM. I found this cheaper the using an ATM or transferring money from my U.S. bank to a Philippines bank. I do keep just under $10,000 in a bank here in case of medical emergency.
Time to go to the pool!!! :-)
Philippines: Lunch or Dinner invitations:
When I was coming here from the U.S. to visit my girlfriend, 6 or 8 of her family members would cram in the car to meet me at the airport. Of course they wanted to go eat even though it was 1am. After the second time, I said something to her. She said they just see you. I said bull! they just want a free meal. I set a limit of 4 people she could bring to the airport and told her if she brought more we wouldn't be going to eat. Problem solved!
Philippines: Re marying after divorce:
I have to agree about the church.
It took 4 years for the senate to pass a reproductive health law here. Then, a committee (I think it was 4 senators) cut the funding for it. Birth control is now still 3 Hail Marys and an Our Father. Thank the Catholic church for that. Btw, before anyone takes offense, I am Catholic.
Philippines: Tourist visa extensions:
This is the Philippines. Necessary information is not readily available online and even information given by government employees such as BI is often inaccurate. That is why websites such as this exist. We share our knowledge and experience with each other.
I do not know about the BI office in Davao. I did learn something useful on my last trip to the BI office here in Cebu. There were 2 foreigners there from Dumaguete trying to get exit visas for medical reasons. According to both of them, you can only get an exit visa in Cebu or Manila. They also said it takes a week to get an exit visa in Manila and they could get it in one day in Cebu. I am not positive what they said was true but, it is certainly something to be aware of especially if you live far away from Cebu or Manila. Has anyone gotten an exit visit some place else such as Davao?
Philippines: How much are you really living on?:
As so many people have said, how much it costs, depends on how and where you live.
I am very fortunate to have been able to retire at 53 with a very good pension. I came here to live not out of necessity but, because I like the climate and I can live very comfortably here. I live in a high end gated subdivision on the sea about 45 minutes south of Cebu city. I rent a fully furnished 3 bedroom, 2 story house. My rent is P30,000. My next biggest bill is electricity which is about P12,000 because I use air con 24/7. Internet and cable is about another P2000. Water runs about P450 and I water my grass and plants twice a day. I eat very well and go out frequently. In total, I spend about $2000 a month to live a very good life. I could not afford to live on the sea or live the way I do for $2000 a month in the U.S. There are drawbacks to living here but, I get along very well with everyone and have had no problems. I like it here.
Philippines: License on tourist visa?:
I got my Philippines drivers license a couple of months ago but, it was a pain in the butt. The first 2 LTO offices I went to said I need a work visa. I explained I am retired to no avail. The third LTO office said for P10000 I could get a license. I declined. At the fourth LTO office I was able to speak with the man in charge who also told me I needed to be in the country at least a year to get a license. When I explained my foreign license is only good for 90 days here he told me to go to the main LTO office in Cebu and gave me the name of the man in charge. At first, he didn't want to give me a license either but, after I explained the 90 day rule, he asked if I had an ACR card. When I said yes, he made a copy of it and I had my license in about an hour for I think P630 plus the P140 I spent for a drug test.
I have several friends who have been pulled oved by traffic enforcers who did not have a Philippines drivers license. Some of the traffic enforcers threatened to confiscate their foreign license. Of course a bribe solved that problem! My advice to anyone who drives on foreign license, be prepared to pay a bribe if you get pulled over and make sure you have small bills to pay the bribe! Haha
Philippines: 45 Day stay in Naga City:
When you arrive, you automatically get a 30 day visa. Here is where I see a potential problem. Before you board your plane in the U.S. the airline will require you to show a ticket out of the Philippines before the 30 days is up.You do not have to have a ticket back to the U.S. before then 30 days is up. It just has to be a ticket out of the country. They will not let you board without this!!!! If you have already purchased a roundtrip ticket, a possible solution is to purchase a cheap ticket on Cebu Pacific to a foreign country close to the Philippines such as Malaysia. This is what we call a throw away ticket since you will not use it. You will need to go to Bureau of Immigration in Cebu to get a 29 day extension before the 30 days is up. That will cost you a little more then P3000. Make sure you take a 2"x2" color photo with you. They are pretty relaxed at BUI here in Cebu. They just want your money. There is no need to dress up.
As for your passport, I carry a photocopy of mine with me instead of the original. If you do that make sure you also make a copy of the stamp from BUI with the expiration date on it.
I live near Naga so if I can be of help, send me a private message and I will give you my Philippines phone number.
Philippines: Card Chips:
If you believe the newspapers here, most of the credit cards here already have chips. ATM machines here are hit or miss. Sometimes they will take your card and sometimes they won't. I send myself money every month via World Remit. The transaction fee is only $3.99 and the exchange rate is higher then Western Union. You can pick up the money at a lot of different places too.
Philippines: What did you worry about?:
You need to have a ticket out of the Philippines on a date before your visa expires or they will not let you board the plane in the U.S. The ticket does not have to be back to the U.S.
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